Christmas Luau?

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

Greetings from Aulani. Last night, we saw a luau cast rehearsing what appeared to be a Christmas/holiday Luau. It was about 45 minutes of hula and storytelling without an audience. Do they do that every year or is it new?

 

[Chy]

We saw this too, at one point in the performance they described it as something new. Not sure if it’s part of a luau or it’s something different? The main luau performers were the same, so it’s the same group.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

We saw this too, at one point in the performance they described it as something new. Not sure if it’s part of a luau or it’s something different? The main luau performers were the same, so it’s the same group.

We were on a high floor and couldn’t hear a lot of the dialogue clearly—but it looked like at least some of the cast were children.

 

[Disfamwa]

We were on a high floor and couldn’t hear a lot of the dialogue clearly—but it looked like at least some of the cast were children.

It’s only offered on 3 nights, and it was whole debacle trying to register for it. They sent an email with a link to reserve it. The link didn’t work for most people, and they said they would respond to people’s emails and voicemails in the order received, but I emailed 4 hours after the email was sent and never heard back from them Other people who left voicemails later did receive a call back with confirmation, so it seemed very unorganized.

 

[Disfamwa]

deleted accidental duplicate post

 

[Chy]

It’s only offered on 3 nights, and it was whole debacle trying to register for it. They sent an email with a link to reserve it. The link didn’t work for most people, and they said they would respond to people’s emails and voicemails in the order received, but I emailed 4 hours after the email was sent and never heard back from them Other people who left voicemails later did receive a call back with confirmation, so it seemed very unorganized.

What nights is it being offered? Cost? Separate from the luau or part of the luau?

 

[Disfamwa]

What nights is it being offered? Cost? Separate from the luau or part of the luau?

It was offered on the for any guests for no additional cost on the 10th and 17th (two shows each date), and then a special one for DVC members that qualify on the 18th (one show) that can only be registered for in person starting the 14th!

 

[AstroBlasters]

It was offered on the for any guests for no additional cost on the 10th and 17th (two shows each date), and then a special one for DVC members that qualify on the 18th (one show) that can only be registered for in person starting the 14th!

A free DVC Christmas Luau? I’ve got to keep that in my memory banks for the future….

 

[_auroraborealis_]

A free DVC Christmas Luau? I’ve got to keep that in my memory banks for the future….

Haha not free.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Haha not free.

The poster said it was offered for no additional cost…. no additional cost on top of the normal luau costs?

 

[Disfamwa]

The poster said it was offered for no additional cost…. no additional cost on top of the normal luau costs?

It is included in your stay, but there is no food or drinks like the actual luau.

If anyone is curious, this is copy and pasted from the email I received:

“To help you better plan your visit, we want to let you know about an exciting new holiday show that will debut during your stay. He Mo‘olelo Hemolele: A Story of Faith, Hope and Aloha will immerse guests in the holiday spirit through Hawaiian mo‘olelo (stories), mele (songs), hula (dance) and ‘ōlelo (language). This experience features traditional holiday songs performed in Hawaiian, and takes guests on an historic journey highlighting the people of Hawai‘i, their faith, hope and greatest of all – aloha. The performances are made up of Cast Members from roles throughout Aulani Resort who have a passion for hula, mele and storytelling, and are excited to kick off this festive season with all of you.

He Mo‘olelo Hemolele is included in your stay and will be offered on December 10 and 17, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Seating is limited and reservations are required. Reservations are now available by following the instructions here. Guests must have an active reservation at Aulani Resort during the time of the show to reserve seats.

A special Disney Vacation ClubMember-exclusive show that includes a special treat will also be offered on December 18 at 6:30 p.m. Members who are eligible for Membership Extras benefits may register for this exclusive offering onsite at Hōkū Hideaway starting Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023.”

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

It is included in your stay, but there is no food or drinks like the actual luau.

If anyone is curious, this is copy and pasted from the email I received:

“To help you better plan your visit, we want to let you know about an exciting new holiday show that will debut during your stay. He Mo‘olelo Hemolele: A Story of Faith, Hope and Aloha will immerse guests in the holiday spirit through Hawaiian mo‘olelo (stories), mele (songs), hula (dance) and ‘ōlelo (language). This experience features traditional holiday songs performed in Hawaiian, and takes guests on an historic journey highlighting the people of Hawai‘i, their faith, hope and greatest of all – aloha. The performances are made up of Cast Members from roles throughout Aulani Resort who have a passion for hula, mele and storytelling, and are excited to kick off this festive season with all of you.

He Mo‘olelo Hemolele is included in your stay and will be offered on December 10 and 17, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Seating is limited and reservations are required. Reservations are now available by following the instructions here. Guests must have an active reservation at Aulani Resort during the time of the show to reserve seats.

A special Disney Vacation ClubMember-exclusive show that includes a special treat will also be offered on December 18 at 6:30 p.m. Members who are eligible for Membership Extras benefits may register for this exclusive offering onsite at Hōkū Hideaway starting Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023.”

We had the privilege of watching a dress rehearsal for this show. We enjoyed it and stop reading now if you don't want ANY spoilers....I'll skip down a few lines I guess
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Ok, so we enjoyed it (absolutely 100% recommend it "for free!"); however, I would say it is not a full replacement for either a Christmas pagent or a luau. There are some Christmas songs mixed in (in a mix of English and Hawaiian), but at least as best we could hear from the balcony of our room 10 floors up, there is not much of the classic nativity story or overly Christian themes (there are some general references to the Christmas story but in kind of an odd way (in my opinion) that integrates some themes of Christmas minus Christianity plus the Hawaiian story. Our family is Christian but I don't expect my kids to get Christian education from Disney nor do I think every element of Christmas needs to have Christ mixed in, and (as mentioned above, I enjoyed it) but I did want to throw it out there because I think they tried to pick a weird middle ground that could potentially offend people who are very conservative evangelical and also offend people who don't want any traditional religious Christian elements (e.g. I'm 95% sure I'm remembering correctly they sing How Great Thou Art) on their vacation luau.

As to why I say it's not a full replacement for a luau, my son is 100% interested in the fire dancing and at the dress rehearsal, they did not appear to have fire dancing (or anybody marking out a dance that could be fire dancing). We couldn't hear the stage directions so it's certainly possible they just skipped it or will add it later, but if that's your thing too, it's worth checking. May as well note that 90% of the normal luau is more uptempo cheerful Hawaiian music, at least half of the holiday luau is the slower lyrical Christmas carols, though the choreography is beautiful and there is one especially gorgeous duet unlike anything you'll see at the normal luau.

 

[Disfamwa]

We had the privilege of watching a dress rehearsal for this show. We enjoyed it and stop reading now if you don't want ANY spoilers....I'll skip down a few lines I guess
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Ok, so we enjoyed it (absolutely 100% recommend it "for free!"); however, I would say it is not a full replacement for either a Christmas pagent or a luau. There are some Christmas songs mixed in (in a mix of English and Hawaiian), but at least as best we could hear from the balcony of our room 10 floors up, there is not much of the classic nativity story or overly Christian themes (there are some general references to the Christmas story but in kind of an odd way (in my opinion) that integrates some themes of Christmas minus Christianity plus the Hawaiian story. Our family is Christian but I don't expect my kids to get Christian education from Disney nor do I think every element of Christmas needs to have Christ mixed in, and (as mentioned above, I enjoyed it) but I did want to throw it out there because I think they tried to pick a weird middle ground that could potentially offend people who are very conservative evangelical and also offend people who don't want any traditional religious Christian elements (e.g. I'm 95% sure I'm remembering correctly they sing How Great Thou Art) on their vacation luau.

As to why I say it's not a full replacement for a luau, my son is 100% interested in the fire dancing and at the dress rehearsal, they did not appear to have fire dancing (or anybody marking out a dance that could be fire dancing). We couldn't hear the stage directions so it's certainly possible they just skipped it or will add it later, but if that's your thing too, it's worth checking. May as well note that 90% of the normal luau is more uptempo cheerful Hawaiian music, at least half of the holiday luau is the slower lyrical Christmas carols, though the choreography is beautiful and there is one especially gorgeous duet unlike anything you'll see at the normal luau.

Thanks for this extra info! We weren’t able to get a reservation, but maybe we’ll be able to check it out from a similar vantage point since we have an island garden view room booked!

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

Thanks for this extra info! We weren’t able to get a reservation, but maybe we’ll be able to check it out from a similar vantage point since we have an island garden view room booked!

We had a room ending in -71 in the Ewa tower. I had asked for high floor luau view a day or two after booking and called back one month out, one week out, and one day out to ask again.

 

[PattiPB]

It's a CHRISTMAS show, but the latest showing is December 18? SMH...arriving December 19th for ACTUAL Christmas week.